ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Geoff Collins is a nickname all-timer. He has handed out some good ones in his career, but he's also the type of coach who hands out nicknames to pretty much everyone. The best usually stick. One he gave, though, became something larger.
It became a way to describe Darius Slay's entire game.
Slay arrived at Mississippi State from Itawamba Community College in 2011 and Collins -- then coaching the Bulldogs' defense -- immediately took a liking to the brash cornerback in practice. Collins saw the potential, if not quite the production, right away.